Book Review - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

I have time only for a quick review. I've been waiting several months to read this 2006 Ney York Times bestseller. My library was slow to order it, and even now only has a large print copy. But it was well worth my persistence in checking the catalog and well worth my wait.

In 1993, Greg Mortenson unsuccessfully attempted a K2 climb and, upon his rescue, was accidentally led to a poverty-stricken Pakistani mountain village. Impressed by their hospitality, he promised to build them a school.

Greg begins his ingenuous efforts to garner financial support to fulfill his promise. He catches the attention of Silicon Valley pioneer Dr. Jean Hoerni, who grants him the money--in exchange for a photograph of the completed building. From this combined effort, the Central Asia Institute is eventually formed, which has since built over 70 schools in remote mountain regions.

Greg opens educational possiblities to small villages in the region, returning occasionally to the U.S. to work and raise further funds. His appeal lies in his ability to befriend the various peoples he meets--from peasants to tribal chiefs to Taliban leaders. Greg is in northern Pakistan on September 11 when he hears, "A village in New York has been bombed!"

This adds a compelling twist to the book, which made it particularly memorable. Greg saw firsthand the secret schools that exist only to teach militant jihad under the guise of "Islamic Education" at a cost of $45 million. Funded through an extremist, fundamentalist offshoot of Sunni Islam, these schools provide the only educational opportunities for impoverished Pakistani students. (Do I need to say How scary is that?)

The central theme of the story overshadowed the fair amount of liberal political rhetoric that I found (and almost expected). There were several small comments interjected which were not necessary. Greg's main point is that through education we can leave a legacy of peace--instead of violence, war and terrorism. We can sit here and talk about it all we want, but Greg Mortenson and the CAI are DOING something about it.

He's an interesting guy with an interesting story. It definitely gave me pause to think about a lot of things that I don't usually think about. I highly recommend this book.